Rating: 
Summary: The Osterman Weekend
Review: A great swansong to a dying man plagued by his personal demons.
This is not classic Peckinpah admitedly, however this is great viewing. The action scenes for 1983 are up there with any (good) John Woo movies of later years. Rutger Hauer, John Hurt and Craig T Nelson are very watchable. This is defientely worth a second look.
The very rough cut on the 2nd DVD gives this film a more ambigious feel.
Like the train wreck of A man Apart, it shows that test screening clearly does not work!
Rating:
Summary: Swan song for Peckinpah
Review: Although at times confusing (unless one is really looking hard), THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND is a pretty good final film for one of the cinema's most controversial directors, Sam Peckinpah. It is his statement on the Cold War, courtesy of Robert Ludlum's 1972 novel, and has many of those well-staged action sequences that make later imitators like Quentin Tarantino and John Woo look like rank amateurs.Rutger Hauer stars as a controversial L.A. talk show host with a penchant for tearing down government officials for their hackneyed explanations of U.S. policy towards the Soviets. He is anticipating the arrival of three old college friends (Craig T. Nelson, Chris Sarandon, Dennis Hopper) and Sarandon's and Hopper's wives (Cassie Yates, Helen Shaver) for an annual get-together. But then, a CIA operative (John Hurt) throws a monkey wrench into things when he presents evidence that seems to indicate that Hauer's friends are working for the heathen Soviets in an attempt to sabotage America's germ warfare program. Hauer thus allows Hurt to set up surveillance equipment around the house to monitor their friends' doings. Then things get very hairy, complicated, and, not surprisingly, somewhat violent. Despite having the usual difficulties with his producers, who were (like many others) penny-pinching, Peckinpah managed to make the most out of his final cinematic effort. The incredible shootout between Hauer, Nelson, and the CIA assassins in Hauer's back forty is Peckinpah at his prime (one would never suspect that in reality he was slowly dying when he made the film). Burt Lancaster turns in a hideously frightening role as the right-wing director of the CIA whose anticommunist paranoia (not too much unlike Sterling Hayden's in DOCTOR STRANGELOVE) sets the film's events in motion. Finished off by a fine Lalo Schifrin score, THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND is a solid and efficient espionage thriller, worthy for at least one curious look.
Rating:
Summary: Fine final thriller from Peckinpah 3 1/2 stars
Review: Although it starts off a bit shakey, "The Osterman Weekend" regains its balance and becomes a suspenseful thriller worth watching. While it isn't Peckinpah's best film, it has many of the best qualities that made "The Wild Bunch", "Straw Dogs" and other thrillers interesting and an example of vital cinema.
Rutger Hauer plays John Tanner a TV reporter devoted to uncovering the truth about our government's covert operations, illegal dealings, etc. When a CIA operative Lawrence Fassett(John Hurt)comes to him with the story of a career there's a catch--it involves Tanner's friends. Fassett reveals that Tanner's three best friends Osterman (Craig T. Nelson), Tremayne (Dennis Hopper) and Cardone (Chris Sarandon)are all three Soviet spies. Fassett proposes that Tanner can break an incredible story if he'll cooperate in trying to turn one or all of the spies over a weekend at Tanner's house. Tension builds as the three spies suspect that Tanner knows that they're agents for the Soviets and they're undecided what, exactly, to do about it.
On disc one we get the original theatrical version. It looks quite good and but this high definition transfer highlights the high amount of grain in the original film itself. That's due to the choice of film stock, lighting, etc. That doesn't mar the transfer just keep in mind it won't look quite as smooth as a more contemporary film. The print looks quite good with minimal digital and analog blemishes. The soundtrack in 5.1 sounds a bit hollow to me and lacks the presence it should but that's not a surprise given that it was transferred (If I'm not mistaken) from a stereo soundtrack master.
This Anchor Bay Special Edition includes both the original theatrical release as well as transfer of the video of the only known surviving copy of Peckinpah's original workprint. The workprint differs from the final version. The film was taken away from Peckinpah and many of the important subplots in the film were tossed aside and the more ambigious ending was also replaced a different cut making the film more conclusive. A warning about the workprint--it's precisely that an unfinished version of the film that hasn't been color corrected and is missing key elements of the film. It's also a direct copy of an old 3/4 inch transfer of the film and is in full screen. If you can get past that, it's fascinating to compare the two versions. While the final version is clearer and punchier, Peckinpah's version has some differences that make it compelling as well.
We also get a fascinating documentary called "Alpha to Omega" that discusses the making of the movie and the changes made to Peckinpah's movie as well as the general reaction to the film. There's also a still gallery and a nice commentary by Peckinpah historians Paul Sedor, Garner Simmons, David Weddle and Nick Redman. It couldn't possibly have topped Peckinpah's own commentary were he still alive but it's the best that we have. The commentary has a number of fascinating bits of trivia as well as observations about the film, performances and story that are very interesting.
While it isn't a perfect film, "The Osterman Weekend" is a fine thriller and well worth viewing particularly if you're a Peckinpah fan. The sharp performances, interesting script from Alan Sharp (who wrote the minor classic "Night Moves" for director Arthur Penn)and nice transfer make this well worth picking up.
Rating: 
Summary: THIS MAKES NO SENSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: For God's sake, this one made it to DVD - a 2 disc version even - but no ALFREDO GARCIA, no RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY, not even PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID? All of Sam's bric-a-brac later films have made it to DVD (this, CONVOY, CROSS OF IRON), but not some of his most vital ones. I've emailed MGM myself to ask about BRING ME THE HEAD... and they had no useful reply to give me. I do have a belief that everything will eventually make it to DVD, but I'm getting tired of waiting! I hope Anchor Bay does acquire the rights to some of Sam's films, because MGM is one of the worst (and most procrastinating) DVD manufacturers out there. The only exception to that is Bond DVDs and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Please MGM, I'm dying here!
UPDATE JANUARY 13th - Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is coming out in March. Finally!
Rating: 
Summary: Osterman Weekend
Review: I don`t know what movie everybody else that made a review saw.
this movie was terrible I watch the whole movie and it made no since what so ever,To me,I do not recommend this movie to no one!!
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I read the book and enjoyed it back when it first came out, but I never saw the film in its theatrical release. I read the reviews here and figured it would be worth a try. Big mistake!
I usually enjoy films based on thrillers, even if they are not totally faithful to the book. But in this case, the film failed on a much more profound basis than simply taking some liberties with the plot. A thriller, whether it's a book or film, should at the very least provide some thrills, and it's here that the film falls far short of the mark. Even though the movie was made in 1983, it is one of the most dated films I've ever seen. I'm not just talking about the outdated room decor and fashions, I mean the whole look and feel of the film. It looks as if it were shot in the early '70's. This sense of being very dated and amateur-ish is underscored by the music, a strange concoction of seedy pseudo-techno and cheesy jazz that would be more at home in a porno film. The screenplay is painfully dull, with none of the suspense of the novel. Production values are tacky and below the standards that one would expect even in a TV-movie of the same era. Some tight editing could have improved the situation significantly, but instead we repeatedly end up gazing at someone's face far longer than is necessary. It's almost as if the director wanted to go for a sort of retro-Euro look for the film, but he didn't come close. The various "high tech" devices, mostly video cameras and monitors throughout the house where the action takes place, look ridiculously outdated. This wouldn't be so annoying if the director had not insisted on zooming in for a close-up almost every time someone touches a push-button, as if to tell the audience, "See, I'm all up-to-date with the latest new gizmos". The movie is filled with shots of people pushing old-style backlit clear plastic pushbuttons that used to adorn those boxy desk phones and were also used on some of the very first VCRs. Some of this stuff would have looked dated even in 1983. Peckinpah is apparently best remembered for his penchant for violence and his use of slow motion in depicting violent scenes. There are admittedly several excellent sequences where he uses slow motion very effectively: a car/truck collision early in the film (totally unnecessary to the plot, but well done nonetheless) and several other scenes at various moments, but not enough to salvage the film. What is so unfortunate is that the cast was made up of very capable actors, many of whom have given much better performances with other directors. If you compare this movie to "Marathon Man" and "Three Days of the Condor", both made in the mid-1970's, they have aged much better than "The Osterman Weekend". They move more quickly, they keep you in suspense, and you actually care about the characters. By the time people started getting killed in this movie, I couldn't have cared less. Another fatal flaw is that this movie is totally lacking in humor of any kind. There are some nasty sarcastic comments, but they are not funny, or even particularly intelligent. Anchor Bay does an outstanding job of providing a quality video transfer for this turkey. Even more impressive is the remastered 5.1 soundtrack, which is surprisingly realistic and is one of the few things that makes the film watchable. The second DVD contains the director's cut of the movie, presented in full screen and without the remastering of the theatrical release. I could not bring myself to watch it (this is definitely not a film to be viewed more than once), but at least the die-hard fan will have both versions to view. There is a nicely done booklet with more information about Peckinpah and his films than I needed to know, but again, credit is due to Anchor Bay for giving the movie a much better presentation than it deserved.
Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I read the book and enjoyed it back when it first came out, but I never saw the film in its theatrical release. I read the reviews here and figured it would be worth a try. Big mistake!
I usually enjoy films based on thrillers, even if they are not totally faithful to the book. But in this case, the film failed on a much more profound basis than simply taking some liberties with the plot. A thriller, whether it's a book or film, should at the very least provide some thrills, and it's here that the film falls far short of the mark. Even though the movie was made in 1983, it is one of the most dated films I've ever seen. I'm not just talking about the outdated room decor and fashions, I mean the whole look and feel of the film. It looks as if it were shot in the early '70's. This sense of being very dated and amateur-ish is underscored by the music, a strange concoction of seedy pseudo-techno and cheesy jazz that would be more at home in a porno film. The screenplay is painfully dull, with none of the suspense of the novel. Production values are tacky and below the standards that one would expect even in a TV-movie of the same era. Some tight editing could have improved the situation significantly, but instead we repeatedly end up gazing at someone's face far longer than is necessary. It's almost as if the director wanted to go for a sort of retro-Euro look for the film, but he didn't come close. The various "high tech" devices, mostly video cameras and monitors throughout the house where the action takes place, look ridiculously outdated. This wouldn't be so annoying if the director had not insisted on zooming in for a close-up almost every time someone touches a push-button, as if to tell the audience, "See, I'm all up-to-date with the latest new gizmos". The movie is filled with shots of people pushing old-style backlit clear plastic pushbuttons that used to adorn those boxy desk phones and were also used on some of the very first VCRs. Some of this stuff would have looked dated even in 1983. Peckinpah is apparently best remembered for his penchant for violence and his use of slow motion in depicting violent scenes. There are admittedly several excellent sequences where he uses slow motion very effectively: a car/truck collision early in the film (totally unnecessary to the plot, but well done nonetheless) and several other scenes at various moments, but not enough to salvage the film. What is so unfortunate is that the cast was made up of very capable actors, many of whom have given much better performances with other directors. If you compare this movie to "Marathon Man" and "Three Days of the Condor", both made in the mid-1970's, they have aged much better than "The Osterman Weekend". They move more quickly, they keep you in suspense, and you actually care about the characters. By the time people started getting killed in this movie, I couldn't have cared less. Another fatal flaw is that this movie is totally lacking in humor of any kind. There are some nasty sarcastic comments, but they are not funny, or even particularly intelligent. Anchor Bay does an outstanding job of providing a quality video transfer for this turkey. Even more impressive is the remastered 5.1 soundtrack, which is surprisingly realistic and is one of the few things that makes the film watchable. The second DVD contains the director's cut of the movie, presented in full screen and without the remastering of the theatrical release. I could not bring myself to watch it (this is definitely not a film to be viewed more than once), but at least the die-hard fan will have both versions to view. There is a nicely done booklet with more information about Peckinpah and his films than I needed to know, but again, credit is due to Anchor Bay for giving the movie a much better presentation than it deserved.
Rating:
Summary: DVD Re-issue Crusade!
Review: If it looks like I'm on a mini-Crusade to get certain films reissued on DVD, I am. This is one of the most intriguing action films around with Peckinpah's signature style. A little hard to follow, but so was Mission Impossible!
Rating: 
Summary: Sam's Cut Falls Short
Review: If you are mainly going to purchase this movie to see Sam Pekinpah's original cut you will most likely be disappointed. The film quality of the original cut is about equal with a bootleg VHS tape (it's also full-screen). Extremely disappointing and painful to sit through.
Rating:
Summary: i hope this is the beginning....
Review: it's daft, tired and hollow... But i find this Peckinpah movie quite entertaining, but i've just taken an oppurtunity to say the following: I hope this is the beginning of a 'Peckinpah collection' from anchor bay, a double disc edition of his most neglected masterpiece 'Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia' would be greatly appreciated. I find 'Convoy', 'The Getaway', 'Junior Bonner', 'The Killer Elite' and 'Cross of Iron' all either tedious, revolting or both. They are all available, but not Peckinpah's last real achievement, strangely a film derided by even some of those that write books about him. It's time this ugly but wonderful, totally unorthodox love story was given a new life on DVD, restored. It's both the most typical and atypical film Peckinpah made.
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